Now as I keep saying; here at LEAF, we’re like the swan. All graceful and flowing and gliding on top, but underneath, there’s a Big Lot Happening.

Some months ago, we were approached by an organisation who give money and assistance to groups to promote family unity. To try to ‘engage’ families and parents with their children through activities that all generations can do together collectively.

The idea is that we should run some workshops in local schools that children and parents will be invited, then invite them all down to our Plots for two days to do something as a collective whole.

So, its been decided that we would build a Geodesic Dome down here on your Plots on our Children’s Plot a little way back from the fire.

After much fun and friendly discussion, we decided that we’d build a mock-up using… You guessed it. Kebab skewers and marshmallows!

Unfortunately, I couldn’t be there for the fun, but Diane very kindly took photos and here they are!

In the first photo up there to the right, you can see the first layer laid out flat with the twenty marshmallows as ‘joining points’, and down to the left here you can see as the second horizontal layer of kebab skewers are firmly pushed into place, starting the structure’s three dimensional efforts.

Now, at this point there was some ‘fun’ as Gary decided that he’d like a couple of marshmallows, despite being told the packet was two years out of date!

After various wrists had been slapped (…in the nicest way possible, of course!..), construction continued, and here to the rifght you can see as the top is starting to take shape.

We think that out in the schools with parents and their children involved, this is going to be great fun! Okay, experience with Gary shows that we’ll need extra packets of marshmallows (…this time, well in date!..), but it should be a great experience!

To the left here, you can see as its just about finished.

Apparently, this took a little over an hour and a half, but now we know how its done, we think we can show parents and their kids in a shorter time.

And finally, a shot of these marvelous marshmallow joints.

We plan to make these three trips into different local schools in a few weeks time, then invite all of them over to our Plots for a couple of days of outdoor fun building the real thing.

This is where it gets really fun!

This time, instead of the edible marshmallows, we’ll be using broom handles specially bought in for the job.

The joining marshmallows will be replaced by circles cut out of yellow mains gas pipe we had donated to us some time ago, and these are being cut to length and the appropriate holes drilled by one of these schools we’ll be visiting.

Be sure to watch out for all the photos as we build that!

I’ll let you have more of the details as they’re firmed up, Dear Reader.

In the meantime, all the day’s shots are available via Flickr here. Enjoy!